Its about time

limerickbabe

delighted to hear this morning that the Dep of Social welfare are doin something in tackling lone parent spongers. Imagine they woke up this morning and have heard ithey may have to get a job to support their own kids.

Jaysus my heart bleeds!!!!! This ladies for long enough gave women a bad name. Having a kid to stay at home expecting the state to support them in housing and everything else they need. Things are so handy for them.... Ive seen from personal experience girls leaving college to live 'The life of Reilly' on the state coffers. I live in a very small flat (no modern 3 bed semi for me) Imagine I pay my own rent. I dont have a baby cos I aint able to pay for it. My voice in this issue is rearly spoken cos as Im a woman Im accused of hating kids etc. Well I love kids in an ideal world i'd have a gang of them But we dont live in an IDEAL world do we?.

Xterminator

Originally posted by limerickbabe

Jaysus my heart bleeds!!!!! This ladies for long enough gave women a bad name. Having a kid to stay at home expecting the state to support them in housing and everything else they need. Things are so handy for them.... Ive seen from personal experience girls leaving college to live 'The life of Reilly' on the state coffers. I live in a very small flat (no modern 3 bed semi for me) Imagine I pay my own rent. I dont have a baby cos I aint able to pay for it. My voice in this issue is rearly spoken cos as Im a woman Im accused of hating kids etc. Well I love kids in an ideal world i'd have a gang of them But we dont live in an IDEAL world do we?.

Sure we can let them leave there kids a home on their own, and force out to work.
After all we all know how easy it is to find affordable childcare.

And as for giving them flats, why bother?
I'm sure the innocent children wouldnt be affected by living in hostels, or worse in cardboard boxes.

Has it occured to you, though your jealousy, that the children might have needs?

I agree that the system can be improved. That those who are abusing it should be rooted out. But thats not what your suggesting is it?
Yes i'm all for making the fathers pay whenever possible, but the state needs to be there to ensure that the children are fed, clothed and housed. To see the children reared in a reasonable enviornment.

Or are you suggesting we go back to the days of state run 'boarding schools' wher the children of those unable to afford them are sent?

Oh, and i would like to point out that the pittance they live on is not the life of reilly. I can honestly say i dont know how people living on social welfare alone manage.

X

limerickbabe

well the comment they would be forced out to work... the kids wil have to look after themselves....

So what???? Im forced out to work I dont have kids cos i have no one to look after them they should have thought of that b4 they had kids like the way im forced to think about having kids.
Why should lone parents be any different!!!!

Havelock

Because if you know how to diddle the system you can make a f**king fortune. Both my parents work/ed with Working Class or State Supported Families, as coucillors and moderators. The majority of the families they delth with could afford, had all the mod cons, two cars (or if the had kids +17, 3 cars), can afford two forigien holidays a year, etc. These are people on welfare, both my parents work. So did I (until I returned to 3rd level education), they could hardly afford the runnig cost of both cars (That their jobs required), and we haven't been on holidays in 3 years. SO two "middle class" incomes, can't afford that, why?
Because we work, we pay all sorts of taxs etc. We pay full prices for our shopping, we get no subsides, we pay a morgage etc. Its a **** load cheaper to live on social welfare than to work. The system needs to be totally re-hauled. Their is no incentive to work. Welfare should pay for your basic requirements for food, clothing and warmth, not wide screen TV's, a hoilday in Spain every summer and your Friday and Saturday night out on the beers. Gives you reason to look for work, if you can't afford the luxuries in life. But thats my opinion as a realist, unfortuantaly, people completely welfare have the vote (considering they don't contribute to the funding of the socity, its bloody insane that they do), so politicians bend over because when election day comes around, the ones at home are more likely to have the time to go out and vote, than those who spend 2 hours in traffic to get home from 8-10 hours of hard work.

I'm not heartless, I don't think single mothers or anyone who actually can't work should be abandoned or forced to live in poverty. I just have no patience for those who take advantage of a system that is meant to help the disadvantaged until they can help them selves.

Xterminator

Originally posted by limerickbabe
well the comment they would be forced out to work... the kids wil have to look after themselves....

So what???? Im forced out to work I dont have kids cos i have no one to look after them they should have thought of that b4 they had kids like the way im forced to think about having kids.
Why should lone parents be any different!!!!

For the sake of the kids. thats why.

x

limerickbabe

ladies are told these days they have options.

If they cant afford their kids they should not have them. Or they should consider adoption if they are unwilling to work to support them. Times are hard 4 every1 not just single/separated mums
its a decision they make like im currently in college should i expect rented private accommodation and a living allowance cos im being educated no i dont think so!!!!!!!!!!

Its totally bull#### that a % of loneparents are not spongers they are cos my mate is one shes honest about her situation she doesnt like workin so she is leeching off the state and whatever handouts she can muscle out of any1. Its a sympathy card.

Thank God the state sees the injustice for all the rest us who pay TAX

amp

My taxes pay for your education.

Imposter

If you are saying that all lone parents are spongers then that's a very stupid statement. A lot of lone parents are in the situation but don't want to be in it.

Some of these that don't want to be in the situation are on welfare because they've calculated what they can earn working and what they get not working. These are normally alone because of a break-up in the relationship or some other genuine reason. I have no problem with these lone parents getting allowance once the parent goes to work once the child goes to school.

I do have a problem with the baby factories that seem to be developing in lower class areas. These girls may get pregnant by accident initially but then they realise 'oh if I have a 2nd kid I'll get a house'. Then the bit that really annoys me is the father of both kids also moves into said house (which isd for the lone parent), is usually work or getting his own seperate dole and they then are far better off than the young couple/family who have both parents out working round the clock to pay mortgage, car, childcare and the cost of living for their family.

That type of abuse definitely should be stopped.

Nevyn

What about the single parents that have paid TAX who's own parents and the rest of thier family pay TAX who will eventually go back to work and pay TAX.

Have you any idea the cost of child care?
and the lack of advailible childcare ?
and even if you do manage to get the child into a creche if the child becomes ill
it cant be placed in the creche that week

It is also well and good to talk about going to back to work when the children go to school
but then there are school holidays,
the mid terms, chrstmas and the length of the school holidays and the fact
that children in school will get the Flu, chicken pox ect.

yes there are cases where the system is abused and I find it apalling that there is no stigma anymore for a 16 year old that gets pregant, you heear about it and not that it is a disgrace or that her life is ruined.

Terminating a pregnacy is not as easy or as cut and dried as soem people think and most definiatly not for a sacred young girl.

Yes adoption should be less stigmatised, but girls/women that give up thier children are considered to be merely a step above those who have terminations who are lets face it considered the lowest of the low an often murders in this country.

Yes there are too many young girls getting pregant and not thinking of thier lives and that of the child .

yes there are programs to get single parents trained and back into the work force but this year alone the money for child care placements for single parent who had gotten them selvess a place on a training course was cut consideribly and people had to drop out
putting in jepordy thier future and being able to be more self suficent. and then pay TAX.

Also thos children will grow up get jobs and pay TAX.

Syth

well the comment they would be forced out to work... the kids wil have to look after themselves....

Eh, some kids can't look after themselves. Not till you're able 10 (probably more) would you be able to look after your self. What should a parent do for the first ten years? Live off their savings?

The problem is abuse, the principal of children's allowence is sound, the practicalities of it aren't great right now.

Nevyn

it is illegal to leave a child under the age of 14 home alone and un attended and parents will be proscuted for this with the possibleity of the child going into care.

it is illegal to leave a child under the age of 16 minding children younger then themselves again the parent can be proscuted and it is not advisible to leave 16 years old caring for infants.

limerickbabe

The old chest nut from Xterminator that im jealous is hilarious

This is because i have a view or even dare to suggest some (not all) long term lone parents are spongers....

simu

The state should provide training for employment and creche facilities for single parents to allow them to become self-sufficient. Should they not find a job after trying hard, they should get unemployment benefit like any other unemployed person. I don't think it's good for a child or a parent that the parent just stays at home watching daytime tv all day. This would cut down on sponging and give ppl who really want to have better lives a chance to do so.

I also don't think it's acceptable that girls who become pregnant before they're 18 should drop out of education and stay at home. People in Ireland are suspicious of adoption because of events that took place in the past but i think it's far better for a child to be adopted than to have it being raised by another child.

sceptre

Originally posted by limerickbabe
spongers. Imagine they woke up this morning and have heard ithey may have to get a job

/me coughs

Havelock

I wasn't saying that all lone parents are abusing the system. i just think thier needs to be better safeguards to prevent abuse of the system.

star gazer

Like it or not but Ireland is going the same way as our developed world neighbours. Our child birth rate is falling and our popuation is ageing, the more children that are had now the more todays adult population will be able to live off the fruits of their labour (improved pensions, from governments and more productive economy benefiting stock market prices). If the single mothers get to stay just above the bread line then the quality of life and future potential of their children is limited. Abuse of the system means that enforcement is not happening, complain to the proper authorities. If it is within the law that single mothers are 'abusing' the system, then talk to your public representative and get them to change the system.
Why not concentrate on the big fish that seem to get away with a lot in the system, €15million punchestown centre for eg.

loismustdie

limerickbabe,
ireland economy is in ruins and we can't afford to be giving out handouts - correct.
but jesus stan, why are you so mad?
not all lone parents are spongers, just like not all limerick people are scumbags - si?
if a girl is unlucky enough to get pregnant her sole motive is not to screw the government believe it or not - her life as she knows it is over and she now has a baby that has to looked after - god forbid she may get some financial assistant.

dear diary - today
today i found out i was pregnant. i'm so confused - i'm only 18 and no boyfriend what will i do?

dear diary - later today
whoo-hoo - i just found out about unmarried mothers getting all this money - can't wait to sponge off the tax-payers - isn't life just peachy creamy???

limerickbabe

loismustdie love ur falling 4 a myth of a teenager gettin pregnant and she does'nt know how it happened. Will you cop on to urself!!!!!!!!!

Sex+no protection=Pregnancy

Is that too complicated for todays single mothers.

amp

Limerickbabe, calm down. This is place for rational debate. You seem to be hand picking points to argue and ignoring others. So, you cop yourself on or it'll be Humanities - Limerickbabe + thread closed.

limerickbabe

i knew this would be the reaction i would get just cos im a lady with these views

Zombrex

Originally posted by limerickbabe

This is because i have a view or even dare to suggest some (not all) long term lone parents are spongers

Originally posted by Havelock

I wasn't saying that all lone parents are abusing the system. i just think thier needs to be better safeguards to prevent abuse of the system.

Maybe they should put a little box on the form - "Do you plan to spoung of the State, or do you actually need this money" ... or maybe "Did you plan this all along -Yes/No" :rolleyes:

Originally posted by limerickbabe
loismustdie love ur falling 4 a myth of a teenager gettin pregnant and she does'nt know how it happened

So not all single parents on welfare are bad, just the teenagers? You serious?

If you look at the US the welfare for work program has been a complete dissaster. Forcing all single parents to work (there is no way to be selective) will harm the childs up bringing and destroy any hope of a form of normal family structure, that is already trick if only one parent is present. We complain about wild children running amok and now we want to remove their only parent ... umm good plan.

Originally posted by Havelock
Welfare should pay for your basic requirements for food, clothing and warmth, not wide screen TV's, a hoilday in Spain every summer and your Friday and Saturday night out on the beers. Gives you reason to look for work, if you can't afford the luxuries in life.

Please show me the welfare system that pays for Widescreen Televisions and holidays to Spain. That is as stupid as the "Refugees get spending money" rummor that was doing the rounds a few months back.

loismustdie

sex can possibly lead to pregnancy regardless to whether or not you use protection, no method is 100% so if a girl becomes a single parent it's more than likely that she was unlucky and not that she wanted to screw the taxpayers by ruining her life